


Cool Kids

by SummersSixEcho



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Cold, DannyMay (Danny Phantom), Gen, One Shot, People noticing things, Secondary Characters, Too close for comfort, dannymay2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24142324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummersSixEcho/pseuds/SummersSixEcho
Summary: Star notices something freaky about Fenton and now she's hyperconscious of the strange phenomenon. Feeling at her wits' end, she decides to raise some awareness on the situation. Starting with her friends.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 293





	Cool Kids

**Author's Note:**

> For DannyMay 2020.
> 
> Prompt: Cold (Week 2)

When extraordinary things happen every day, it's hard to pay attention to the little details. Amity Park's citizens seemed to pick up on the bizarre aspects of mundane situations only when they smacked them in the face; otherwise those _little_ things went at most into the subconscious file for the "ordinarily strange". 

The kids at Carper High were a prime example of the obliviousness surrounding the haunted town. They had almost gotten used to it, even when they didn't know what that ' _it'_ was. But with so many attacks happening at the public school, it was only a matter of time before someone began noticing patterns all around. 

And Star was all about patterns as she tried to pay extra attention to the who, what, when, and where to have something new to gossip about. 

Being a cheerleader and Paulina's best friend had become her first credentials whenever her name came up, but many were forgetting the socialite’s life before joining the A-listers. For starters, she wasn't as dense as everyone thought. She had been a leader of the chess club at one point in her childhood and she also loved reading in her reduced spare time, science fiction relegated to a guilty pleasure once she became Paulina’s “bestie”. Said affectionate term, she realized, was very fragile and didn’t hold whenever a popular kid struggled in terms of wealth, influence or popularity. Star had learned that from close experience, after being able to join their ranks once Valerie had hit rock bottom financially. It was funny how her friendship with the overworked teen had turned out in the end, with the two girls finding a more sincere bond out of Paulina’s sight. 

Of course, the pressure of being relevant to the elite meant she had to keep her moves calculated enough to avoid falling from grace, lest the previous mockery and name-calling against her resume. That's how she started keeping tabs on everything that happened around her, mostly mundane observations that could be turned into gossip fodder or teasing material. She often loved scribbling them in the back of her notebook, pointing out with small phrases her findings. 

As Mrs. Neil droned on with that day's lesson, dishing out formulas and terminology the ‘satellite’ was already familiar with, Star allowed herself to be distracted by her scribbles. She indulged at times in writing things about the cool kids as well, realizing blackmail could be her third purpose for her newfound hobby. _‘_ _Pauly_ _bought a new pair of shoes’_ , one note read. _‘They make her feet look tiny, maybe they were only available in a size too small for her’_. 

_‘Ashley skipped lunch again. Someone’s trying to get into her homecoming dress.’_

_'Dash has notebooks filled with Phantom doodles. Hero worship or secret crush?”_

She went on listing the simple things around her, even from the loser trio at the bottom of the social ladder. Her notes included musings about Manson's fidgeting (no doubt caused by Fenton's absence in the middle of the school day), or Foley’s focus on his PDA (who knew he got bored during math class?). But when the door slammed open, she noticed a significant change right away. 

"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Neil," one slightly disheveled Danny Fenton said, cringing visibly as he met the teacher's glare. "I... got chased by a ghost in the hall?" 

The excuse, formed as an unsure statement, gained the snickers from several classmates. "Knowing you, it probably was a flying bed sheet," Dash exclaimed, followed by a high-five with Kwan. 

In all honesty, Star was too curious about her observation to even consider celebrating their antics. For some reason, the kid who had just missed half of the class brought with him a chilling sensation into the room. Someone else must have noticed; the temperature drop was so significant it was very hard to miss. She followed the kid with her gaze once the teacher sent him to his desk (with a new detention included) and realized the chill moved with him to the back of the classroom. 

Maybe sitting against the wall at the very front was the only reason why she noticed the change, if their classmate's obliviousness was any indicator. 

Interest piqued, the cheerleader decided to write it down: _'Freaky Fenton strikes again. Might as well be Jack Frost...’_

Not that she could picture the freak like one of her favorite characters from "Rise of the Guardians": white hair and frosty glare. He wasn't _cool_ enough for that. 

Now that she was aware of the coldness following the odd boy, Star couldn’t stop noticing the ever-present chill in the next couple of days. If Fenton was around, it suddenly felt like someone had turned the AC on. It happened no matter how crowded or warm the room was. She once caught Mikey shuddering when the two nerdy boys accidentally bumped shoulders in the hall, but the redhead acted as if it didn’t register in his consciousness. She knew the town was blind sometimes, but this was starting to get on her nerves. 

It was Thursday, the English classroom began to fill with students, not even one of them missing the bell for the first time that week. Star mentally prepared herself for the iciness that followed Fenton’s entry through the door. She wondered how long this had been going on unnoticed, and most importantly what was the cause behind it, when a terrifying idea struck her. What if this was something... _supernatural_ ? What if there was a ghost following him everywhere? What if he was even possessed by one? His supposed fear of paranormal entities hadn't made any sense _unless_ there was a strong reason for that. Like maybe being constantly haunted by one... 

Not caring about Mr. Lancer's current lecture on _The Odyssey_ , the girl began writing a list on a new page, full of her recent theories and observations. The teacher would probably think she was dutifully taking notes. Not that she needed to: Greek gods and their adventures were another guilty pleasure of hers, though she always preferred a good mystery. And she loved being one step ahead of anything going on. 

If a ghost was truly involved, maybe she would have to raise more awareness to the situation. But how? She had failed so far getting her friends to notice the bizarre temperature changes, often receiving offhanded replies to get a sweater or a superficial comment on how the climate change was so “uncool”. She knew none of them _cared_ for the environment, but they wouldn't miss the opportunity of jumping on the bandwagon of what their favorite celebrities thought was cool to talk about. 

So, _how_ could she get them to notice? And how could she make sure there wasn’t a creepy spook floating invisibly in the classroom right now? The mere idea gave her the creeps. 

Then, like some kind of epiphany, she figured a solution for the latter issue. It was so freaking obvious now that she thought about it. She could ask the closest thing she had to an expert. A close friend who might know how to detect possessed people. After all, if there was one thing Star had found out about Valerie Gray, it was how much she _hated_ ghosts with an unrivaled passion, which meant she was probably paying close attention to them. 

She couldn't wait to ask her about it once her shift was over, which was when they usually had a chance to call each other to stay up to date. Now, she had to think of a way to make someone else notice the temperature thing, if only to not feel like she was going crazy. 

As the blonde continued her notes, she idly listened to Mr. Lancer's analysis of Odysseus, the hero everyone thought was dead... 

* * *

Being part of the A-list kids meant usually hanging out as a group to maintain membership benefits. It was stupid and part of the reason why Star would rarely have time for other kinds of activities. Between school, homework, cheerleading, her chores at home, and keeping up with the popular group, she felt rather swamped. So, listening to her friends chat about their plans for the weekend wasn’t as exciting as it would seem for aspiring A-listers. Much less while they were gathered somewhere as mainstream as the Nasty Burger. 

After a few minutes of dully listening to every detail about Paulina’s upcoming trip to New York, which she had already heard twice that day, Star felt the unusual chill she had discovered earlier that week. Sure enough, she spotted from her peripheral vision a familiar trio passing by to sit two booths away from them. She wondered if anyone else had perceived it. This inspired the girl to act on her current mission. 

The blonde made a show of hugging her arms and shivering, making sure the setup was not loud enough to get the losers’ attention. “Brrr, did you guys notice that?” 

While the two other boys in the booth stared quizzically, she could feel the Latina glaring daggers at her. “Notice what?” Kwan was the first to speak, his voice almost concerned. 

"Sorry, Pauly,” Star began, giving a peace offering before the Queen Bee of Casper High felt the need to replace her for such audacity. “I didn’t want to interrupt, but I'm just _so_ freaked out...” 

Paulina seemed to take the bait, replacing her menacing glare with one of stirred curiosity. “Freaked out? What about?” 

Star sat straight, cautiously turned to see if the trio of losers were paying attention to them (which they were not), and leaned closer to the center of the table, prompting the others to do the same. The action was usually reserved for some really good gossip, so everyone in the group followed suit. “Whenever Fenton enters a room, the temperature takes a nosedive,” she said in a lower voice, getting no initial reaction from her companions. When no one spoke, she decided to continue. “It’s super freaky. _Really_ hard to miss once you pay attention to it. It’s like there’s some weird ghostly stuff going on.” 

Dash snorted. “Oh, man, are we seriously going to use our valuable time to talk about that freak?” He released a hearty laugh, wiping away a tear. The amusement died down once he realized the others were mulling over the girl’s words. “Oh, c'mon,” the quarterback whined in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest. 

If anything, Kwan and Paulina had gone pensive after Star words. This rattled the blonde girl. “What? Did you notice that too?” she asked, her eyes wide at the sudden revelation. Had she been suffering almost all week alone in vain? 

The Latina licked her lips and stared at her fingernails, not wanting to really voice her own thoughts. “He has a ghost sense,” she finally replied, as if the words had some heavy meaning they should have already known. Teal eyes glanced up to gauge their reactions. At the lack of recognition, Paulina sighed. “Remember when we had that ghost disease or whatever?” Three heads nodded back. “And remember I had this awful blue breath? The ghost boy told me more about it. Because it’s one of his powers, right? So, he said it helps sense when a ghost is close to you. And then one day I saw Danny had the exact same thing.” 

Star crumpled her nose. “What? When did _that_ happen?” _Why didn’t you say anything?_ was the real question she wanted to ask, but no way would Paulina tolerate being questioned like that. She hoped the answer would come out on its own. 

Paulina steepled her fingers in front of her, something she mostly did when she was nervous to stop herself from damaging her manicure, her cheerleading teammate mentally noted. “It was, like, two weeks ago at the mall. I was waiting behind Danny at the smoothie stand. I was going to convince him of letting me go first, but then... it happened. He let out that misty air, ran away with some excuse, and then a ghost showed up.” 

“Wait, hold on." 

“Dash,” Star scolded turning just enough to see if Fenton was listening to them, only to find him laughing with his friends, oblivious to the huddle. “Not so loud,” she hissed anyway. 

The quarterback rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. “So, you’re saying he can _sense_ ghosts? Puny, scared-shitless Fen-toenail can detect when there's something spooky going on?” He couldn’t hold his bubbling laughter any longer. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just...” he noticed Star’s shushing gesture and he lowered his voice again, “that has to be the _lamest_ use of a _cool_ power. Figures he would find a way to sense when to _run away_ , crying like a baby.” 

“Actually,” Kwan started, his reflective state untouched by his best friend’s guffawing. “I’ve been thinking about it, too. Like, a lot.” 

“Oh, no, not you, too,” Dash whined again, taking his hands to his platinum hair in frustration. 

Kwan frowned at the gesture but didn’t feel deterred by it. “So, like, remember when ‘Lina told us how Phantom always shows up when Fenton’s around?” 

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Paulina said as she rolled her eyes. “I even invited him and his two friends to my _quinceañera_ and they all stood me up!” 

Her best friend remembered the ordeal. They had even been teasing Paulina for not getting over Fenton after their inexplicable breakup, but the head of the cheerleading squad always claimed not knowing what they were talking about. The group of friends figured she just wanted to pretend nothing had happened, and they all happily obliged. Not that the failed relationship hadn’t left some evidence for future blackmail, if they ever felt the need to use it. 

Dash huffed. “Yeah, I didn’t believe it then and I won’t believe that now.” 

The Asian jock, patient as he was, only shrugged. “I did. And I started paying more attention. It’s just... think about it, man. Why would the son of ghost hunters run _away_ from a _ghost_ attack? Remember that time with the pirate ship? He taught us how to use all those weapons. And he fought those skeleton pirates with you guys.” 

Now that she thought about it, Star couldn’t believe how it all fit together into the same strange picture, but it still felt like they were missing important pieces of information. Why or how did this happen? When did it start? Was there any real connection to Phantom? She thought he could be possessed or haunted. But what if it was worse than that? No... She didn’t dare finish that train of thought. 

The only thing she could be certain of was the terrifying realization that they had been messing with the wrong kid the whole time. Dash would be too stupid if he didn’t back off after this. 

To his defense, the otherwise arrogant bully shifted uncomfortably in his seat, maybe now starting to understand as well. “So? He later ditched us that _one_ time. I’ve seen him run away screaming and panicking. It’s not something we made up to have even more reasons to wail on him.” 

Paulina seemed to have caught on as well and gave an exasperated sigh. “Soooo, it means he _doesn’t_ run away from ghosts. He runs to get help from my ghost boy. Get it?” 

Star felt there was more than that and a part of her felt like running away from the boy in question, a newfound eeriness settling in the bottom of her stomach. She still couldn’t believe they were even having this conversation. It felt like they were uncovering something big. Big for what? Status? Blackmail? Making him join the A-listers again? She wouldn’t mind voting Dash out this time, however impossible it was. “Guys, I think you’re missing the point,” the blonde began once an uncomfortable silence had begun to settle. “If the temperature is dropping _before_ a ghost shows up or his spooky sense acts up, I think there’s more to the story. What if he’s possessed or being followed around by a ghost?” She absolutely wouldn’t suggest her third option, even if it had crossed her mind for a fleeting moment. It was too morbid to even consider out loud. 

Paulina’s eyes widened. “My ghost boy? You mean... he’s right here?” The sparkle in her eyes only shone brighter at the prospect of her undead crush being so close. “Wait, wait, wait... is that why he told me to wrap my mind around the idea of _Paulina Fenton_ ? Was that... a _clue_?” 

The quarterback, who didn’t immediately dismiss their comments for once, frowned. “But that doesn’t make any sense. If anything, he would be hanging out with the cool kids, not some loser with lame ghost hunters as parents. That’s, like, suicide." 

"But... what if he doesn't like the spotlight. I mean, what would be the least likely place you would go looking for him?" Star questioned, as her theory became more solid with each passing minute. 

Kwan's eyes widened and he looked like his mind had just been blown. "You know what... It totally makes sense... That’s why he’s not so afraid of you, dude." 

“Shut up,” Dash mumbled. 

“No, no,” Star said. “What do you mean with ‘he’s _not so afraid’_?” 

“Fenton doesn’t run, shrink, or even flinch when Dash is wailing on him. He just looks... _tired_ when it happens. Dash thinks it’s because he’s losing his touch, but--” 

Dash dropped his fist loudly on the table, interrupting the boy with the sudden clatter and the murderous look in his eyes. “I said shut up, Kwan!” 

The outburst made everyone at the fast-food restaurant stop mid-conversation and turn to stare at the A-listers, some of the employees even doing so with disproval. The group then saw the surprised and wide, blue eyes of one Danny Fenton from his seat at his current table. His personal bully noticed, clenching his teeth and fists as he stared the boy down. “What the hell are _you_ staring at, _freak_ ? _”_ Dash barked loudly. 

The teen in question lowered his eyebrows in an icy glare. Star could have sworn the temperature dropped again slightly, something both Kwan and Paulina reacted to as well, now that they were paying more attention to the eerie sensation. Dash seemed taken aback for a moment, but instead of backing down, he matched the boy’s glare and went almost stomping to his table. Once he was in front of Fenton, he grabbed the collar of the boy’s shirt, holding him up close to his face. “You wanna say something, _Fenturd_?” 

The way Kwan described Fenton’s reactions to Dash didn’t even begin to cover the whole experience. True, the smaller boy, despite the size or weight differences, didn’t cower in fear. But upon further inspection, he seemed to almost enjoy getting a rise out of the jock. As if he knew it wasn’t that big of a deal or as if he didn’t even care. 

Now that Star thought about it, Fenton had been so strange since they started high school. Always missing assignments and classes, breaking material, starting food fights, like some poster boy for teenage delinquency. He was a desperate call for help. And what if it was on purpose for exactly that reason? What if it was his way of trying to get people to notice him? So that whatever ghost’s following him around would leave him alone. If the Phantom theory turned out to be right, it would make even more sense. Who would want to be the constant target of ghost attacks and tiptoe around their parents, when they could just live like a regular kid? Maybe that was why he didn’t mind the troubles he got in... 

Ugh, now she was psychoanalyzing Fenton, of all people. 

Back to the confrontation, said troublemaker gave Dash an innocent look. “Nope. Seems to me Kwan already said enough for you to shoot him down like that.” 

Before the jock’s growl could transform into the punch it threatened to become, a familiar face and voice stepped in. 

Valerie Gray, whose shift was still ongoing at the burger joint, walked so fast next to the two boys it almost felt like watching a ninja. “Baxter,” she began in a warning tone, her emerald eyes screaming murder. “You know we have a zero-tolerance policy on bullying, so you better start making peace with Danny before I personally kick you out.” 

Fenton tried to pry his shirt out of Dash’s hands, now that the larger teen was distracted after being scolded in front of everyone. “It’s ok, Val,” the eerie boy replied, sounding even friendly despite the circumstances. “Dash was just heading back to his table, right? We’re cool here.” 

The two boys held a silent glaring contest, with only one of them genuinely seething in frustration. When the blond seemed to realize he wouldn’t be able to trash his favorite punching bag, he huffed in annoyance before retreating towards his booth. “Whatever,” he muttered. 

Fenton and Val continued talking for a couple of more seconds, both blushing awkwardly when they waved their farewells. As Valerie returned to her place at the register, her eyes briefly met with Star’s knowing look, and promptly turned away. Oh, yeah, she would never let Val live that down. Not after she declared so many times how she was already over her _ex_. 

That inspired Star with another idea. Maybe she could try asking Val if she had noticed anything strange about Fenton during their time together. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to dump all the unconfirmed theories they had about her former boyfriend, much less knowing how anxious she got about Phantom. Star wasn’t _that_ mean. 

Her thoughts were again put on pause once Dash slumped in the seat in front of her, his face paler than usual. He avoided the concerned looks his friends were giving him. Apparently, his milkshake was much more interesting to stare at. Paulina was the first to break the silence. “What the hell were you thinking?” she scolded in a hushed tone. They were already attracting too much attention from some of their peers at the restaurant, so there was no need to make another scene. 

Dash wasn’t very eloquent, and he never admitted being wrong. So, they had to give him credit after all the guts it took for him to fumble with his next words. “I... I... I believe you, okay?” 

Paulina’s previous glare dissolved into curiosity; her perfect eyebrows raised to match her piqued interest. “What happened? Was my ghost boy there?” 

Star wanted to roll her eyes but instead focused her sight on the other blond in the group. The jock dared to look up, briefly glanced at the table where he had come from, and then turned to his companions, his eyes shifting nervously. “Could we, uh... bail or something?” 

Dash always played the tough guy at school, but Star was aware of certain interests that revealed he wasn’t as _macho_ or insensitive as he tried to appear. While those interests were not really that embarrassing, she figured he had an old-school upbringing and probably had a lot of pressure from his dad to keep up the alpha-male appearance. For all intents and purposes, the boy simply didn’t like being seen as vulnerable, which resulted in the unhealthy habit of bottling up his feelings and bullying others into submission. 

So, when Star noticed how _scared_ Dash Baxter looked in front of them, she knew something big was up. “You totally noticed something.” It wasn’t even a question. 

Without waiting for a response to his previous plea, the boy stood up and headed outside, trying to keep his haunted expression hidden. His three companions shared looks and shortly followed suit, with Kwan taking only a moment to go back to leave a tip next to their forgotten meals. 

Once the four of them were out of the restaurant, they followed Dash to the parking lot, where they had left his car. He took out a set of keys, but his trembling fingers couldn’t find the right one. Star was sure he had one of those keyless cars but decided not to say anything. The jock was clearly distressed and didn’t need any additional pressure. 

Once they reached the vehicle, Dash kicked one of the tires and began to hyperventilate. “I am _so_ dead. So _fucking_ dead.” 

“Dude,” Kwan said in a soothing voice, but still keeping a fair distance. “Calm down. C’mon, breathe.” 

Star was at a loss of what to say or do, so she settled for the most basic of questions. “What happened?” 

Dash turned to look her in the eye for the first time. Then turned to Kwan, as if he could find better moral support from him. Not that she blamed him. The popular clique didn't have the best reputation when it came to taking care of each other. 

“He... he _touched_ my hand,” the blue-eyed jock spluttered, his voice just as haunted as he looked. A shiver ran visibly through his spine. “He was so freaking _cold_ . I’ve felt it before, alright? I already knew he was like that. All those times wailing on him? I totally noticed, okay? But I... I never understood what it meant. And today I felt it again... and it felt like touching a _ghost_.” 

His friends only stared, unsure of what to say. Even Kwan, calm and collected as he had been trying to be from the very start, looked stumped by the sudden revelation. “You knew something was off? And you didn’t _stop_?” 

The blond, instead of replying, apparently remembered he didn't really need a key and slid into the driver’s seat as soon as he opened the door. He looked like a cornered animal, a sight no one would believe unless they had been there to witness it. Paulina was the first to open the door opposite to the driver, with the two remaining friends getting into the back seat soon after. 

Dash continued dodging Kwan’s question and stared blankly to the steering wheel. “I can't take his smile out of my head,” he said after a moment of silence. “He’s been taunting me. He knows there’s a ghost somewhere close that can beat me into a _pulp._ It’s like he’s waiting for me to really mess up to get back at me. I am _sooo_ dead...” 

Star was startled by his words. Sure, they had all heard the worst-case scenarios when it came to bullying. From going too far and breaking the kids on the receiving end, to becoming the prime targets of some gruesome revenge. But... Fenton didn’t seem like that kind of guy. Sure, he was weird, which now sounded like the biggest understatement of the century. But Dash’s fears didn't match what she had seen during the pirate attack or the way Fenton had dealt with both Paulina and Valerie post-breakup. If anything, he seemed almost kind-hearted even to those who hurt him the most. Not that anyone would catch her saying that out loud. 

“Ok, dude, you need to calm down,” Kwan tried to soothe him again. “We talked about this, remember? Fenton’s not planning his revenge. He’s... ok, maybe he’s hard to read, but he’s not going to kill you, dude. But you _definitely_ need to stop messing with him.” 

Paulina rolled her eyes. “Oh, wow, so reassuring,” she muttered. “Dash, honey... if Danny’s with the ghost boy, he’s not going to do anything to hurt you, okay? Didn’t you say you had that cool team up with him?” 

Ah, yes, something about being shrunk at Fenton’s house and having to work together with Phantom to scape some ghost hunting them. He wouldn’t shut up about for a whole week or two. And it seemed Paulina knew just the right way to get Dash to relax, since the haunted boy gave her a sheepish smile in return. 

“Yeah, we were awesome. But... he didn’t like my idea of sticking Fenton’s face in the toilet.” He sighed and facepalmed. “It makes a whole lotta sense now.” 

“See?” Paulina continued. “If he really wanted to, he could’ve vaporized you or whatever at any time.” At this, the boy paled even more. “But he _hasn’t_ , silly! He’s a hero, get it? No matter what Danny tells him to do or not to do, he’s gonna _save_ people. Not the opposite.” 

Star felt the need to put everyone more at ease. This whole situation was getting out of hand in the paranoia department. “Pauly’s right,” she said, trying to add some brownie points with her bestie at the same time. “Plus, didn’t he apologize before when he was pulling pranks on you? What kind of revenge-seeking nerd would do _that_?” 

The words had apparently struck a memory chord in Dash, his face now contorted in utter confusion. “Hey, wait a minute... he’s been totally using ghostly help! Sometimes he just _disappears_ or gets out of his locker way too easily. And those pranks! There’s no way he pulled them off on his own.” 

Kwan cocked his head to the side. “Uh, wouldn’t that make him even, at least?” 

Dash considered this for a moment, still a long way from being entirely comfortable. “Maybe...” 

Now that the panic attack was no longer an immediate issue, the four friends sat in a contemplative kind of silence. Each probably trying to reconcile their memories with what they knew now and wondering what to _do_ with all this information. Star felt a bit of an outsider, since she hadn’t had such a close interaction with Fenton as Dash or Paulina. Still, she owed it to Valerie to watch her back and find out if something eerie had happened while they were dating. If Val had noticed anything, it would probably help her to have someone to talk to who didn’t think she was totally crazy. 

Kwan cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “So, uh... what now?” 

That turned out to be the million-dollar question as they all took the following hours to debate the changes this new information would require. 

* * *

The next day started out like any other Friday. Kids eager to start their weekend plans chattered in the halls of Casper High before the first bell. Friends met up at their lockers or exchanged last-minute adjustments to their homework, while the teachers chugged down as much coffee as possible to stay sane for the rest of the day. Nothing seemed amiss so far, Star noted as she walked towards her own locker. 

The previous night was filled with bursts of anxiety and insomnia, which reflected that morning in her barely suppressed yawn. The girl was thankful for the advanced lessons in makeup she got from Paulina, which allowed her to conceal successfully the dark circles under her eyes. Small blessings... All in all, Star felt tired and a bit lost after realizing she had so many missing details from yesterday’s discovery. For all they knew, Fenton could just be using some of his parents’ inventions to make any of his weirdness possible, but the popular kids couldn’t take that kind of chance. She tried to write it all down anyway, just before going to bed, using code words in her newest entries in case her notebook reached the wrong hands. She would still be on the lookout for new clues but wasn’t sure how much more she was going to keep digging. 

Her overloaded mind fought hard to remember what books she needed to pull out for this period, as her thoughts drifted between keeping an eye on the arrival of the other A-listers and trying to remember which locker belonged to Fenton. She almost jumped out of her skin when someone suddenly dropped their backpack on the floor next to her. Her jumpiness didn’t go unnoticed to the newcomer, who had hurried to greet her friend. 

“Hey, Star,” Valerie Gray began slowly, frowning at the girl’s reaction to her sudden arrival. “Is everything ok?” she asked, not taking her concerned look off the cheerleader as she opened the small metal door with her belongings. 

The blonde tried to recover with a smile plastered on her face, but deep down she knew her friend would see right through it. “Hey, Val! Yeah, just tired. You?” she managed to ask. 

Valerie eyed her even more critically now, which guaranteed she knew something was up. “Same. Sorry I didn’t call you last night. I had to work overtime, again.” 

Star relaxed and appreciated the silent offer of a starting topic. She knew she had to ask Valerie several things, but she didn’t know where to start or how to break the ice without sounding crazy. She was also aware this was her friend’s subtle way of prodding for the details of what was going on. “Don’t worry about it,” she casually responded. “I had a busy afternoon, too.” 

Before Val could ask about the previous day, the two girls noticed the arrival of the star quarterback to the overcrowded halls. While Dash’s general demeanor didn’t seem out of the ordinary, the determined look on his face revealed a man on a mission, apparently focused in just passing the invisible hurdles in front of his path to reach his locker, not even paying attention to the nerds retreating at the sight of their bully. 

“Oh-kaaaay, that wasn’t out of character at all,” Val commented once the jock reached his destination. 

If Star hadn’t participated or known anything about the agreements with the other A-listers the day before, this would have surely qualified for a comment in her notebook musings. As if to confirm the reason behind the boy’s strange behavior, a now-familiar chill seeped into the room as Fenton entered the hall, heading with his loser friends towards the line of lockers opposite to Dash. Val tensed, probably expecting some form of retaliation from the day before. On any other day, the bully would have already insulted the smaller kid at the very least, not even taking into consideration other forms of physical violence from the rather large bully. But today was a different story. 

Dash Baxter, now the former bully of Casper High, had decided to obey his instincts and stop messing with the spooky kid, whatever his connections to ghosts were. So, he simply took out what he needed from the metal case in front of him, met up with Kwan, and headed to their first classroom. All this while he ignored Fenton completely, even as he walked in front of the inseparable group of losers. Of course, no one would pay close attention to the stiffness in both jocks’ backs. 

This new facet was all part of last night’s accords. After lots of discussion and denial, his friends even convinced Dash to look for other healthier stress outlets and extend the amnesty to the rest of the nerds. After all, if Phantom was really hiding among them, he might not like others being wailed on either. The resulting strategy was very simple: ignore the other kids and focus on the little tasks he needed to do. 

The change didn’t go unnoticed by the students gathered in the hall, some of which were left gawking at the scene. None of them, however, was more surprised than Danny Fenton himself, who after a dumbstruck expression turned with a smile to talk with his friends, maybe thanking his good luck or something. 

Valerie who had witnessed the quiet turn of events, gaped as well, turning after a moment to face Star, who didn’t seem as stunned as everyone else. “What was _that_ all about? I thought for sure he would get back at Danny!” 

The blonde cheerleader sighed. She knew this wouldn’t be easy to explain but they had settled for a simple reasoning if anyone grilled them about the change of heart. “We talked after the whole incident,” all true so far. “And we realized maybe we had some growing up to do, you know?” A bit of a stretch there, but it would work. “Start playing nice. Or at least nicer.” 

The dark-skinned girl snorted. “Yeah, right,” she said in an amused tone. “As if Paulina could ever play nice.” 

Star shrugged. “What can I say? We just noticed we could do better. Sure, we’re still at the top of the social food chain, but we don’t have to be outright violent or cruel to people.” 

  
In truth, they had figured if they ever wanted to be anywhere close to Phantom or even just his current messenger, they would have to make more than a few changes. Yes, all of them. Besides, they couldn't just start being lenient or nice to Danny Fenton or his friends without getting odd looks from everyone, especially from the spooky teen. So, they had to follow Dash's example and extend the same courtesy to everyone else. After all, they still had their wealth, talent, and looks to retain their coveted popularity. 

Before her friend could say anything else, Paulina called Star excitedly from across the hall, making no attempt at slowing down in her walk towards the two girls. Val was about to save the blonde from giving any explanations by just retreating into the bathroom, when the Latina greeted her by name as well. “Oh, Val, hey! Nice bracelet. Is it new?” she spoke quickly, which Star thought was due to a higher dose of caffeine than usual that morning. 

Valerie didn’t even have time to respond when the school’s Queen Bee began to ask them about her appearance, including her new outfit, makeup, and hair. The quick succession of questions was hard to follow, but Star managed to give an acceptable response to each. Once she got her _bestie’s_ approval, Paulina excused herself to go to the bathroom just to make sure it was all perfectly in place. Star knew this wasn’t part of the explicit plans they all agreed on last night, but nothing impeded the girl from looking her absolute best for her ghostly crush, in case he really was around. 

Star shook her head and picked the books she was looking for, hoping she didn’t forget anything in her half-awake state. As the metal door closed, she settled her full attention back to her locker neighbor. “Uh, Val?” 

Valerie’s face went through a whole journey as she seemed to process everything that was going on. Star couldn’t blame her, since she was probably one of the closest outsiders to the group and probably knew the others well enough something was off. Then, a look of suspicion (and was that murderous anger?) colored her features. “No way. They _have_ to be possessed,” she finally declared. 

Star exhaled, unsure if it was a sigh of exhaustion, defeat, or relief. “Val, I have soooo many questions on that particular topic... like you wouldn’t believe!” 


End file.
